Rotary armature miniature relay



Jan. 5, 1965 F. R. BRIDGES 3,164,697

ROTARY ARMATURE MINIATURE RELAY Filed Aug. 9. 1961 INVENTOR.

FRANK R. BRIDGES WWW United States Patent Couch Company, Inc., Quincy, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 130,370 3 Claims. (Cl. 200-87) The present invention relates to construction.

Relatively small relays have a growing use, particularly in industrial and military devices where compactness is essential. Consequently, there is a growing demand for improved miniature relays of high efficiency, greater stability, low expense and simple manufacture. Additionally, it is highly desirable to provide relatively small relays which may be easily encased to minimize the effect of external magnetic fields on the relay or limit the amount of the magnetic field generated by operation of the relay. I

The present invention provides a structure which attains such desirable results. In the present invention there is provided a relay having an electromagnetic coil with a magnetic core or shaft passing therethrough positioned in spaced relation to a header which carries a plurality of contacts. Means support a rotor between the header and coil with the rotor adapted to pivot about an axis normal to the major plane of the header and axis of the core. Relatively compact means are provided for supporting the rotor which comprise a bridge and cross brace, positioned one above and one below the rotor, with the bridge secured in spaced relation to the header and providing space therebetween for the header contacts. The cross brace is secured at its ends to shoulders formed in a pair of stator members. The stator members in turn are each secured at one end to the bridge at opposite sides of the rotor and support the end of said core passing through the coil at their other end. The stator members serve the dual function of a physical support for the coil and act as conductive members in an electromagnetic circuit. The stator members are specially shaped with vertical undercut portions adjacent the shoulders arranged in facing relationship with end portions of the rotor. The bridge, the contacts and the means for actuating the contacts are symmetrically arranged for increased efliciency of operation. Moreover the components are designed and arranged for construction of a relatively small but eflicient relay.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a relay embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan elevation of the relay;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the relay components; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view on a somewhat enlarged scale of the relay.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings there is shown a rotary relay having a generally rectangular configuration. This relay when energized is substantially symmetrical with respect to a major plane 11 which passes through the axis of the rotor 10.

The rotor is also symmetrically constructed and is flat with opposite major faces 13 lying generally parallel to and on either side of the major plane 11 in the energized state of the relay. This rotor 10 is supported for rotatable movement by a pivot 14 coincident with the rotor axis. The upper end of the pivot 14 is journaled in a cross brace 15 while the lower end of the pivot 14 an improved relay 3,164,697 Patented .lan'.' 5, 1965 ice . is journaled in a bridge 16. The bridge 16, positioned below the rotor 10, is formed of a flat, stamped-out piece of metal having a platform 17 parallel to the plane of the cross brace 15 and depending legs 18 on either side of the platform. The platform is formed with portions 19 and 20 at its ends adapted to support and be integrally connected to the stator members 23 and 24 respectively. The stator members 23 and24 are each formed with upper and lower portions 26 and 27 respectively. The lower portions 27 each lie entirely'on opposite sides of the major plane and have a height greater than the height of the rotor 10. These lower portions 27 are also formed with faces 30 which are substantially coplanar and in major plane 11. The upper portions of the stator members are thinner than thelower portions and thereby form coplanar transverse shoulder members 32. Theupper portions are also wider than the lower portions and lie preferably symmetrical with respect to the major plane 11. The cross brace 15 issecured atits'opposite ends to the surface of the shoulder 32 by suitable means, thereby forming a rigid upper means for journaling the pivot 14. The cross brace 15 is also formed with an integral downwardly extending lip 40 adapted to engage and limit rotation of the rotor 10 in one direction. An electromagnetic coil 40 of conventional construction and having a magnetic core 42 is positioned above the cross brace 15 with the ends of the core 42 secured rigidly in openings 43 in the upper portion of the stator members 23, 24. The coil 40 extends substantially the distance between the upper portions 26 of the respective stator members 23 and 24. Connecting wires '45 to the coil extend downwardly to terminals 49 in the header 50. This header 50 is secured in spaced relation to the platform 17 by legs 18. These legs 18 extend normally toward the header 50 and are coincident with planes passing normally through the edges of the header. The header also supports a plurality of pairs of fixed contacts 51 and movable contacts 52 with the movable cont-acts 52 extending between the pairs of fixed contacts 51. All the contacts are in turn connected through insulated portions 55 to terminals 56. The rotor is operably inter-.

engaged with the movable contacts 52 by means of contact actuators 60. These contact actuators comprise straight wire segments which are relatively stiff. These stiff wire segments 65 are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the ends of the rotor 10 and are provided with insulating caps or beads 66 at their lower ends. The rotor 10 is normally tensioned away from its energized position in engagement with the stator faces 30 by a helical spring 80 coaxial with shaft 14. One end 81 of the-spring 80 engages rotor 10 while the other end 82 is engaged in a hole 83 in the platform 17 of cross brace 16.

In the arrangement illustrated, the stator members 23 and 24 are formed with corner portions best illustrated at which substantially coincide with the corner elements 70a of the header. Since the legs moreover are coincident with the edges of the relay header there is provided a relatively compact structure adapted to receive arectangular can or covering. The outer surfaces 70b of the stator members and legs 18 form uniform segments 4 supporting a rectangular casing in secure relation with respect to the internal components of the relay.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a relay construction, a rotor having a symmeti rical shape, said rotor having opposed major faces lying portions having a height greater than the height of said rotor and each having a face complementary to one of said rotor faces, said stator faces being substantially coplanar, said upper portions having widths greater than the widths of said lower portions and extending on either side of said vertical plane and a thickness less than said lower portion whereby said portions form inwardly extending-shoulders at the junctions thereof, a pivot coaxial with the axis of and supporting said rotor, means pivotally supporting said pivot including a cross brace lying in a plane normal to said faces and secured at opposite ends to said shoulders, and a bridge on the side opposite said rotor to said cross brace, said bridge having a platform parallelto the plane of said cross brace and supporting the lower portions of said stator members at either end thereof, said cross brace and platform engaging said pivot, a header having contacts formed therein, said bridge having integral legs projecting normally from said platform and secured at their ends to said header thereby securing it in spaced relation to said platform, contact actuators secured at one end to said rotor and adapted to engage said contacts at the other end, and an electromagnetic coil having a core extending axially therethrough with the axis of said coil and core lying in said vertical plane with the ends of the core secured to the upper portions of said stator members.

' planes passing through the edges of said rectangular configuration.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said legs comprise bent over portions of said plat-form and are in planes passing through the edges of said rectangular configuration.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,718,568 9/55 Somers 200-87 2,957,965 10/60 Millunzi ZOO-87 2,960,583 11/60 Fisher et al. 20087 3,005,071 10/61 Brunicardi 200-87 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. MAX L. LEVY, ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Examiners.

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1. IN A RELAY CONSTRUCTION, A ROTOR HAVING A SYMMETRICAL SHAPE, SAID ROTOR HAVING OPPOSED MAJOR FACES LYING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND ON EITHER SIDE OF THE AXIS OF SAID ROTOR, A PAIR OF STATOR MEMBERS, EACH HAVING INTEGRAL LOWER AND UPPER PORTIONS WITH THE LOWER PORTIONS LYING ENTIRELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE AXIS OF SAID ROTOR AND WITH SAID LOWER PORTIONS HAVING A HEIGHT GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF SAID ROTOR AND EACH HAVING A FACE COMPLEMENTARY TO ONE OF SAID ROTOR FACES, SAID STATOR FACES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR, SAID UPPER PORTIONS HAVING WIDTHS GREATER THAN THE WIDTHS OF SAID LOWER PORTIONS AND EXTENDING ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID VERTICAL PLANE AND A THICKNESS LESS THAN SAID LOWER PORTION WHEREBY SAID PORTIONS FORM INWARDLY EXTENDING SHOULDERS AT THE JUNCTIONS THEREOF, A PIVOT COAXIAL WITH THE AXIS OF AND SUPPORTING SAID ROTOR, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID PIVOT INCLUDING A CROSS BRACE LYING IN A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID FACES AND SECURED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO SAID SHOULDERS AND A BRIDGE HAVING OPPOSITE SAID ROTOR TO SAID CROSS BRACE, SAID BRIDGE HAVING A PLATFORM PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID CROSS BRACE AND SUPPORTING THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID STATOR MEMBERS AT EITHER END THEREOF, SAID CROSS BRACE AND PLATFORM ENGAGING SAID PIVOT, A HEADER HAVING CONTACTS FORMED THEREIN, SAID BRIDGE HAVING INTEGRAL LEGS PROJECTING NORMALLY FROM SAID PLATFORM AND SECURED AT THEIR ENDS TO SAID HEADER THEREBY SECURING IT IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID PLATFORM, CONTACT ACTUATORS SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID ROTOR AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID CONTACTS AT THE OTHER END, AND AN ELECTROMAGNETIC COIL HAVING A CORE EXTENDING AXIALLY THERETHROUGH WITH THE AXIS OF SAID COIL AND CORE LYING IN SAID VERTICAL PLANE WITH THE ENDS OF THE CORE SECURED TO THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID STATOR MEMBERS. 